Army for FB only ? Army insists on playing at FBS level, but acts like every conference is too tough for them. I'm unclear who they plan to scheule then... Navy, Air Force, Notre Dame, an FCS school... and then WHO ?

If ODU says no to CUSA, and CUSA Plan "B" is Middle Tennessee State, does that leave WKU somewhat isolated in the Sun-Belt ?

The issue is whether the MAC wants more all-sports members, or if they're just going to plug up the hole Temple's hasty exit made. I'm sure UMass would love another eastern school, but that would be App. State? Army?

If it's all-sports, I think it's WKU. It's the right move for both parties...WKU is a consistent contributor in basketball that will fit in nicely with the MAC schools, and its football is improving while adding no real travel burden. Win-win.

Things are moving too slowly and quietly over in Delaware and Harrisonburg, VA for it to be UDel or JMU. I doubt they're in this discussion, though would be the obvious eastern-most programs (well, them AND Villanova).

Army for FB only ? Army insists on playing at FBS level, but acts like every conference is too tough for them. I'm unclear who they plan to scheule then... Navy, Air Force, Notre Dame, an FCS school... and then WHO ?

If ODU says no to CUSA, and CUSA Plan "B" is Middle Tennessee State, does that leave WKU somewhat isolated in the Sun-Belt ?

I don't think WKU would leave Sunbelt for the MAC. But I could be wrong? What would they benifit from that?

Army for FB only ? Army insists on playing at FBS level, but acts like every conference is too tough for them. I'm unclear who they plan to scheule then... Navy, Air Force, Notre Dame, an FCS school... and then WHO ?

If ODU says no to CUSA, and CUSA Plan "B" is Middle Tennessee State, does that leave WKU somewhat isolated in the Sun-Belt ?

I don't think WKU would leave Sunbelt for the MAC. But I could be wrong? What would they benifit from that?

Agreed. Nobody would. Sun Belt has better markets. Might not seem important now, but with the annual migration numbers from the Rust belt to the Sun belt, those markets continue to grow. The SB might never be the SEC or ACC, but with more people comes more students, alumni, money. WKU tied to markets like Atlanta, Dallas, Miami, Nashville, Mobile will eventually be considered more beneficial than the secondary cities in Ohio/Michigan that make up the MAC.

I never drank the Kool-Aid that SBC > MAC. It's not that the markets are better in the MAC, because they aren't, per se. It's that the schools are. In football, the MAC usually has no problem scheduling games in the OOC: B1G, Big East, SA's, and ND. SBC is competing with C-USA and WAC in their part of the map. What MAC doesn't have in their own market, they "showcase" when traveling to others (even if it's getting beaten like a drum).

And the siphon effect must be considered: do MAC'ers apply for the SBC or is it the other way around? I know there's an article out there about WKU and MTSU and their candidacy, which is 'spec, but I had heard/read for some time that WKU's FBS upgrade was to get the program into better position for a MAC all-sports invite.

What does MAC have to offer to WKU? Better hoops. Consistent football. Stability (really). And...so far, after this round of expansion and realignment: easier travel. Yes, the SBC can brag they have this expansive reach...but these are small programs with little support. The kind of schedule WKU football has to contend with now is going to be brutal. And what if they have to add NMSU and the Spuds? Even if those schools subsidize travel, there is no way these games draw or make anyone happy.

It wouldn't surprise me if Illinois State grabs a spot. They've wanted it for so long and have the leadership who are for it.

I never drank the Kool-Aid that SBC > MAC. It's not that the markets are better in the MAC, because they aren't, per se. It's that the schools are. In football, the MAC usually has no problem scheduling games in the OOC: B1G, Big East, SA's, and ND. SBC is competing with C-USA and WAC in their part of the map. What MAC doesn't have in their own market, they "showcase" when traveling to others (even if it's getting beaten like a drum).

And the siphon effect must be considered: do MAC'ers apply for the SBC or is it the other way around?

What does MAC have to offer to WKU? Better hoops. Consistent football. Stability (really).

I don't know how much of that is true. The last academic rankings I see haveMiami 77, Ohio 115, Buffalo 121, Rest Tier 3WKU 31, USA, 47, MTSU 56, rest Tier 3

So for "the schools are," is that the case?

If football scheduling is really easy for you, it's probably because you're a cheap guarantee game. And they're right in the Big Ten's backyard.

I think the perception of both leagues is changing. People are viewing the MAC as "There's no upward mobility." Whereas in the Sun Belt, I think there's more a view of programs can growing and develop and move up to a better conference because football is king and the south is the home of college football.

I don't know how much of that is true. The last academic rankings I see haveMiami 77, Ohio 115, Buffalo 121, Rest Tier 3WKU 31, USA, 47, MTSU 56, rest Tier 3

So for "the schools are," is that the case?

What rankings are those? UMOH's an original Public Ivy and top-100 national university according to USNWR, and SUNY-Buffalo's AAU. Add Ohio, Ball State, NIU, WMU, BGSU, and Kent State, with UMass and Temple...those are the ranked national universities. They're grouped in the same category as comprehensive universities like Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, and Duke. And NIU, IIRC, boasts some of the better graduation rates and GPAs for their athletes?

Maybe SBC is more appropriate for WKU because WKU is still seen as a smaller, regional school, but I thought WKU has wanted to become seen as a bigger school than it is, for more than just the sports, and I thought they got that with being in a group like the MAC than the SBC. The two conferences are similar in that they both house programs with small athletics budgets, but, as noted before in the previous post: now that the SBC has changed, are you willing to spend your already small athletics budget shipping kids to San Marcos or Muncie? Denver or DeKalb? How about your fanbase?

I don't know how much of that is true. The last academic rankings I see haveMiami 77, Ohio 115, Buffalo 121, Rest Tier 3WKU 31, USA, 47, MTSU 56, rest Tier 3

So for "the schools are," is that the case?

What rankings are those? UMOH's an original Public Ivy and top-100 national university according to USNWR, and SUNY-Buffalo's AAU. Add Ohio, Ball State, NIU, WMU, BGSU, and Kent State, with UMass and Temple...those are the ranked national universities. They're grouped in the same category as comprehensive universities like Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, and Duke. And NIU, IIRC, boasts some of the better graduation rates and GPAs for their athletes?

Maybe SBC is more appropriate for WKU because WKU is still seen as a smaller, regional school, but I thought WKU has wanted to become seen as a bigger school than it is, for more than just the sports, and I thought they got that with being in a group like the MAC than the SBC. The two conferences are similar in that they both house programs with small athletics budgets, but, as noted before in the previous post: now that the SBC has changed, are you willing to spend your already small athletics budget shipping kids to San Marcos or Muncie? Denver or DeKalb? How about your fanbase?

Those ranks I think are a year or two old, because they didn't do a "Rankings by Athletic Conference" this year and I'm too lazy to do it myself.

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot post attachments in this forum